Are You Man Enough?
by kaesaku
Summary: Yuki Sohma never cared about rumors. It was part of being popular, after all. But when the school newspaper's gossip column published that he was gay, he decided it was time to prove to everyone that they had been wrong all along. Or have they? [KyouYuki]
1. Prologue: When the Bomb's Been Dropped

Pairing: Kyou/Yuki

Rating: PG-13 for safety. I don't want to be blamed for the soiling of the innocent minds of those minors. Yeah, right.

Standard disclaimers apply.

**"Are You Man Enough?"**

_by__ kaesaku_

**Prologue: When the Bomb's Been Dropped…**

Yuki Sohma never had an enemy at school. Probably because he was popular, but also because he was never mean and he never made fun of anybody that can fit in the loser category. He was not like those stereotypical high school hotshots who will make the life of anyone who listens to punk music a living hell. Yuki had the hearts of everybody. He was, indeed, a prince.

Which is why he can't believe what he was reading.

It was the monthly release of their school's newspaper. Everyone in the cafeteria has one. And judging by the look on their faces, it seems that everyone was turned on the exact page that Yuki was reading. It really wouldn't bother him if it weren't for the fact that those looks were directed at him.

Yuki looked up from reading his newspaper and immediately, everyone pretended to be eating, talking or doing something, however stupid it may be like playing with hair, just so they can avoid the prince's gaze. Even two of his usual lunch mates busied themselves with whatever that was near.

Whatever, meaning anything that is not Yuki.

_Nice reactions_, he thought annoyingly.

His thoughts betrayed his actions, as he continued to eat his lunch with the usual coolness and calmness that everyone is accustomed to.

_Act as if it has not affected you._

He was doing just that until one person loudly spoke what was on everybody's mind.

"Ooh, blind item… 'Wonder who's on…", the culprit cooed. "This has always been my favorite section!" You guys should read this, too!"

_"Blind item:_

_Who is this popular guy_

_That have__ captured the hearts_

_Of almost everyone in school,_

_Yet have not dated any girl?_

_Clue: A top student,_

_A charming classmate,_

_A dependable friend…_

_Could it be that the prince_

_Is actually a princess?",_

The culprit read with an exuberant and loud voice for everyone in her table to hear. Actually, a bit too loud since everyone in the cafeteria stopped whatever they're doing to stare at the direction of the voice with disbelief and horror. Not that they hadn't known what the culprit was reading, but more so, because of the culprit herself.

Of all people who might read that aloud, it had to be Tohru Honda.

And to make matters worse, she was sitting on _that_ table.

In front of Yuki Sohma.

Everyone held their breath as they waited for Tohru Honda, the closest friend of the silver-haired boy, to realize the sense of the words she just uttered.

The brown-haired girl slowly placed her newspaper on the table. Her face resembles of total seriousness, as if in deep thought. And then suddenly, her face broke on an easy smile, which turned to a giggle, which then turned to a full-time laugh.

She was laughing.

"Oh my gosh! She is _so_ good at this!" she exclaimed, pointing at the writer's name. "I mean, come on, that was not enough clue! She should have given us the initials of the blind item's first and last names!"

Everyone who managed to hear that could only blink in response.

Tohru started to dig in her lunch. "I love solving this blind item thingies… but this one's really hard, huh?"

When she didn't get an answer, she looked up from her food and noticed that Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima, her other lunch mates, were staring at her.

"What?"

That's when she realized that aside from her two friends, anyone within a 2-meter radius was staring at her.

"What?"

Well, everyone except Yuki who was busy with his food.

Or so they thought.

"Oh, I get it. Is everyone expecting me to actually solve that now?" she flashed a sweet grin.

"Well, don't worry ,everyone," she said as she cupped her hands on her mouth for the benefit of those who were on the far side.

"I know you all are as baffled as I am, but I will try my best and solve this blind item as soon as possible," Tohru announced with a peace sign on her hand.

All Uo and Hana could do was shake their heads as Tohru continued with her lunch, oblivious to the fact that the answer was right in front of her face. Literally.

Trust Tohru to embarrass everyone except herself. And get away with it.

The two girls looked at each other and then at the object of everyone's thoughts at the moment. They couldn't help but feel sorry for the prince.

- o -

Two words can describe the high school's newspaper column (or should we say, gossip column) _"Eyes and Ears"_: fearless and influential. It was fearless in a way that it did not hold back from writing pieces about important people in school, like the teachers or the popular students (or even the janitors). Everyone was given equal treatment. If you did something worth reading and talked about, you'd definitely land on this column, student or not. Consider yourself lucky if you do. It means you are _that_ popular.

Or unlucky.

No matter how popular you are, the tables may turn. If this column writes something appalling about you, no matter how absurd or stupid it may be, everyone will believe it.

Because for the students, "_Eyes and Ears_" is like the Bible.

The hidden controversies, the one everyone knows but is afraid to talk about, you read it here.

Besides, people find it awfully entertaining to read about other people's businesses. And watch them squirm in the process.

That is until you become one of the victims.

There are no statistics, no categories in choosing the victims. But, it is not entirely selected in random either. The victim has to have something that the readers will think is worth offering fifteen minutes of their time (30 minutes for slow readers). Something different. And Yuki Sohma has always been different.

"Damn, I should have done this a looong time ago."

The newspaper was carelessly thrown on the floor of the small room. It camouflaged instantly with the other scattered papers and newspaper lay-outs laying around.

"I think I just turned him into a full-time celebrity!"

**- tbc -**

**kaesaku:** This is my first Furuba fic… I usually write Slam Dunk. Anyhow, correct me if I was wrong on certain furuba facts… I'd appreciate it. Thankies! ;p


	2. Ch 1: When the Laughing Begins

**kaesaku:** Sorry if I made Tohru look really stupid, an airhead, perhaps? Sorry, Tohru fans! Anyway, thanks for the reviews:D

Standard disclaimers apply.

**Chapter 1: When the Laughing Begins… **

It was a peaceful afternoon. One of the things that the house by the woods seldom experience. And in a few seconds, it will turn from seldom to none.

At the sound of the sharp bang from the front door, the lone inhabitant knew that peace has officially banished from his house.

"Kyou, is that you?"

"Who else do you think!" came out an irritated answer.

"Well, we never know," replied the inhabitant who turned off his computer and finally decided that finishing his novel would be an impossible job now that his cousin, who can be interchangeably called as _chaos_, has arrived.

He walked in the kitchen, where he expected the orange-haired boy will be, rummaging through the fridge for some afternoon snack.

"You want tea? I think there's still some extra here," he offered.

"Sure", Kyou grunted.

Kyou placed his mug on the table as the content of the kettle was poured on it.

Unfortunately, the one pouring was not looking. He was having a good time whistling with his eyes closed. An action that is sure to be a catalyst to stupid accidents.

"Damn it, Shigure! Watch it!" Kyou yelped. "Now you've poured tea all over the table!"

"Oh my, I'm sorry. I guess I wasn't looking," Shigure chuckled. "Do you have anything that we can use for this mess?"

"No. What do I look like? A storage box!" the boy flashed his cousin an annoyed look, but the latter was busy looking for a dish towel to notice.

"Looks like Tohru washed all of our dish towels," Shigure pouted as he sat next to Kyou.

"What do you want to do? Watch as the tea evaporate!"

Shigure laughed. "You do have a good sense of humor, Kyou-kun! Of course, I know how to remedy this… You have unwanted papers there?" he pointed at Kyou's backpack.

Kyou fumbled in his backpack and found the newspaper he picked up at school before he went home. He gave the front page to Shigure who placed it on top of the wet spot at their table.

"Another one, please."

Another page went.

"Uhm, I need more."

And another went.

This went on until only the middle section was left.

"I didn't even get the chance to read that thing!" Kyou yelled.

"You can always dry it up after it has absorbed all the tea!"

Kyou shook his head in disbelief and diverted his attention to what was left of his newspaper.

"There's nothing to read here! All that was left were these stupid crossword and puzzles!"

"I didn't know you read."

"Shut up!"

The younger boy angrily flipped the page of what was left and saw something worth reading. It was _that_ column.

Normally, he wouldn't care about other people's lives, but it felt good to see others being bashed by this column. Just as long as it wasn't him.

_Like I would ever be in this column_, he rolled his eyes.

As he read the column, his face changed from morose to nearly dying due to lack of oxygen. From laughing.

"Oh, shit!" he exclaimed without taking a break from his laugh trip.

Shigure was clueless as to what unbelievably funny thing his cousin was experiencing.

"Are you alright, Kyou?"

"No… fucking… way…" he guffawed as he wiped tears from his eyes. "And you won't be, too… after you read this!" He laughed again.

The dark-haired man took the newspaper page his cousin handed him and looked for the object of Kyou's possible death through suffocation.

In a matter of nanoseconds, the older cousin rolled on the floor with laughter.

"I can't believe this!"

The only thing that subdued their laughter was the sound of the door opening and footsteps moving towards the kitchen.

Both turned to look at the newcomer.

Kyou snorted when he saw Yuki.

"Ah, Yuki," Shigure stood and went over to the glaring boy. "Would you like a snack?"

Yuki ignored his older cousin and went straight to the fridge.

"Care to tell us how your day was?"

"Yeah, how was your day?" Kyou asked and with a tad bit of sarcasm added, "…princess?"

Shigure burst into laughter.

"Fuck you," Yuki pushed Shigure out of his way and kicked Kyou's chair.

It just made them laugh more.

- o -

"Dinner time!"

Two people hurriedly went to the table as soon as they heard that familiar voice. Both were hungry, so they didn't need too much coaxing to approach the table.

"Where's Yuki?" Tohru inquired.

As if a magic word was heard, Shigure and Kyou perked up and a different kind of glint was seen in their eyes.

"Oh, I don't think he's gonna eat with us, Tohru-chan," the older of the two answered.

"Yeah, he's probably off having some beauty sleep or something," the younger one snickered.

Tohru gave both of them a blank look. Obviously, they were having a private joke that they wouldn't share with her.

_Well, that's okay. At least, they're enjoying each other's company_, she thought happily.

Then, she remembered something_. If they are sharing something, might as well add one, too._

"Oh, I just remembered! Back at school, there's this really cool column that gave blind items," she relayed excitedly.

Another magic word. The guys had that look on their faces again.

"So, you read that too?" Kyou almost exclaimed.

"Why, of course! Never missed one!" she added giggling.

Shigure chuckled.

"So, what was your reaction when you found out, Tohru-chan?"

"Oh, that's just it, Shigure-san. I still don't know who the blind item is," she said sadly.

"You. Don't. Know."

"No, I don't, Kyou." A sigh. "But, I soon will! Because I never backed down from a challenge! And solving this will be my new challenge!" the girl declared with much vigor.

Shigure and Kyou looked at each other and sweatdropped.

"All right, Tohru-chan, we'll be waiting for that."

"Hai, Shigure-san!"

"We want to see your reaction."

"Of course, Kyou-kun. I just hope it won't take me too long to solve this," she uttered with utmost seriousness.

Shigure and Kyou could only sweatdrop again.

**- tbc -**


	3. Ch 2: When the Fish Took the Bait

**kaesaku**: ahoy there! _dodges the things thrown_ I know, I know.. took me long enough. Sorry for the uber-delay! My mind crashed during the holidays and I have not been capable of doing anything except eat, sleep, and watch wrestling.. it was a terrible thing to do with this fic.. (and my acads.. _snort_) my apologies! But, here it is! All I did was **dream, believe, survive**.. (starstruck! ;p) and voila! Another chappie!

Oh, and it may be a long time before I upload another one.. (what's new? _smirk_) you see, I am a senior college student.. meaning, I am _**about**_ to graduate. About, because if I flunked even just _**one**_ subject this sem, I'm dead. So please, bear with me. I swear by February, everything will be alright. (believe me, I keep telling myself that..)

**  
Shout-outs: **just wanna say thanks to a couple of people out there..

**Tikigirl123** – well, I have no idea how his name is really spelled. All I know is that, a 3-letter name seemed, I dunno, like something's lacking with it? Haha.. I like 4-letter names more. ;p they seem more complete. So there. Hehe..

**babymar****-mar** – oh, it will be all better in the future! ;p

**Mata** – thanks:D

**Mistress Nika** – aww.. thanks! _is loving the cookies_

**Clover** – here it is:)

**anne**-**nime** – and I thought I overdid tohru.. ;p

**NeuroticSquirrel** – thanks:D

**crystal** – of course, you can:D sure, sure.. edit it all you want! No prob with that! ;)

**Yukako** – thanks! Here it is:D

**kagi** **kitsune** – ne.. I'm not mean. Everything will be okay, I promise. I love Yuki to bits so I wouldn't do anything to harm him. (yeah, right.)

**Yuki** **Haitani** – thanks! _beams_ and you're welcome, too. ;p yah, I do have an lj, but I haven't done anything, so far.. hehe.. you see, I'm kinda stupefied with the technicalities and all that.. so, I have NO idea what to do with it.. in short, I am a livejournal illiterate. _sweatdrop_

**chibichibi**-**neko** – thank you, thank you! _bows_ belated happy new year to you, too:D

**chibi****koinu** – well, this is the next chapter! ;p

**Dark**-**Dreams**-**69** – jiyeah! Go kyouXyuki! And yes, update that fic of yours! Bwahaha.. ;p

And of course...

**shiro**-**yuki1** – sowee.. okay, I promise, there'll be lesser bad words from now on.. is that okay now? Hihi.. basta, you have to continue reading! See yah in abode! Dun na lang tayo nagkikita eh.. hekhekhek.. ;p

**himura**-**sadako** – bwahahaha.. I hate you! Remind me daw o! ;p hai, hai.. I will finish everything else, and may god help me, that I not die in doing so.. basta, remind me to write, ayt? And don't make me lose too much sleep! Hehe.. ;p uh, that didn't come out so well..

**gurl**-**labo** – well, anu beh. This is yuki. Y'know, baby spice..? kaya he's so taray.. taking lessons kasi from fujima, the ultimate taray queen! Bwahaha.. ;p see, I updated. Ndi ako tamad. Hehe.. ;p (XlXaXbXXuXXkXiXtXsXuXnXeXXkXoX..) gets? Eww.. what. the. hell. did. i. just. wrote.

Again to everyone…

"What's my name, bitch? What's my name!" (uh, I think what kaesaku meant was, thank you very much. _sweatdrop_)

Standard disclaimers apply.

**Chapter 2 : When the Fish Took the Bait…**

_Tuesday_

_6:50 a.m.__, near the gates of Kaibara High  
_

Today was a Tuesday. And in Yuki Sohma's school calendar, Tuesday was not a bad day. In fact, Tuesday was _never_ a bad day. The only day that _always_ plagued him was Monday and that was yesterday.

Incidentally, that was also the day that he was rumored to be gay…

_But, today's Tuesday… Tuesday's are always good,_ the silver-haired boy chanted to himself over and over again as he walked towards school.

His two companions had no idea that an inner revolution was currently happening to Yuki '_Ouji-sama__'_ Sohma.

Well, one did have an idea.

His orange-haired companion let out a snicker to himself. _This is the first time that I've ever been excited to go to school._

His other companion, the brown-haired one, was more absorbed with… _other_ things.

_Oh my, this is the second day… I should know by now who the blind item is…_

A smile began to appear on her face as she convinced herself that today is indeed the day of revelation.

_Yosh!_

Yuki turned to Tohru Honda, noticing the smile on her face.

"Oh…," she smiled shyly. "I must have looked stupid, smiling alone like that." She scratched her head.

"No, not at all," Yuki replied gracing her with a rare smile.

Tohru's embarrassment swiftly vanished because of the reassurance. But it was instantly replaced by concern, when she remembered how Yuki was that morning.

"Are you alright, Yuki-kun? I mean, you were quiet this morning..." Tohru asked as she remembered that Yuki hardly talked to anyone of them at the house.

_Something must be bothering him…_

"I'm fine."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the taller Sohma roll his crimson eyes.

_Did they fought again?_

Before Tohru could even think of a possible reason for the situation, the gates of Kaibara High appeared in view…

- o -

_7:05 a.m.__, classroom  
_

He was used to attention.

When he was a kid, people at the Sohma estate always looked at his direction whenever he passed by. He was the rat, of course.

When he became a teenager, people at school always looked at his direction whenever he passed by. He was the prince, of course.

Today was no different from those days. He walked in the room and everyone turned to his direction.

Yes, it was the same as any other day… and yet _so_ different.

Attention was something he can live by. But_ this_ kind of attention? He was more than ready to change his mind.

Yuki pretended to be busy and arranged his school supplies on top of the desk, but he can't help but hear what the two girls, four seats from his right, were talking about. He also can't help but wonder why some people have the decency to talk _that_ loud.

"…they have a point, though."

"Yeah, I mean, look at his hair…"

A vein popped.

"..and his clothes!"

Pursed lips.

"Ooh, remember the time he oh-so-willingly obliged to wear that dress?"

Closed fists.

"Oh my gosh, that was just so…"

Before Yuki strangled anyone within an arm's length at that moment, the door opened and their teacher entered.

_Saved by the bell_, he dryly thought. _They were so dead._

_One word.__ One more word and I swear, rat's poo will magically appear on their lunch food._

The thought somewhat calmed his restless and annoyed soul.

- o -

_2:30 p.m.__, boy's comfort room  
_

Yuki slowly walked along the deserted corridor. Classes were still on, but he excused himself to the teacher and was now on his way to the comfort room.

He sighed.

_Well, the weird looks were surely much better than the loud whispers_, he thought sarcastically as he remembered the reactions of most people that morning.

_'Can't believe they believed that crap easily…_

He turned to the corner and entered the comfort room. Yuki went straight to the urinal, which has only one occupant at the moment. As the prince, started to unzip his pants, the boy beside him turned to look.

Yuki, on reflex, glanced back.

The boy, upon recognizing the person that was unzipping his pants beside him, widened his eyes in surprise. In a matter of nanoseconds, he zipped up his pants and practically ran out of the comfort room, without even bothering to flush the urinal he just used. He tried hard not to scream.

Yuki could only blink. He slowly digested the event that had just happened.

A straight boy had just ran away from him.

What an achievement.

- o -

_Wednesday_

_10:15 a.m.__, along the corridor  
_

Yuki stared at the two girls in front of him. He recognized them.

_Two of the persistent ones_. He fought the urge to roll his eyes.

"Can I help you?" he politely inquired.

The girls had red, puffy eyes that seem to be still wet from something akin to tears. Or perhaps, they really were. What's new?

"Yes?"

With the stress and pressure from the recent days, Yuki's patience seemed to be a having a major roll-back.

"Why?" one of the girls asked softly.

The silver-haired boy looked on in confusion.

"Why?" repeated the other one.

Before he can ask what they meant, both girls burst into tears.

"Why, oh why!" they blurted, then ran away.

Yuki sweatdropped.

- o -

_3:15 p.m.__, outside the classroom  
_

"Uhm, excuse me… Yuki Sohma?"

Yuki turned and came face-to-face with two girls.

Again.

"Tell him!" the taller of the two whispered.

"No, you tell him!" nudged the other.

They looked at each other and seemed to arrive at an agreement.

Yuki braced himself. _More crying._

"Well, you see…," the other started.

"We just wanted to say…"

They looked at each other again.

"Congratulations for coming out of the closet!" they exclaimed at the same time.

And he thought he had braced himself.

"We know it's hard and a lot of people may not accept you at first...," blurted the shorter of the two.

"…but remember, we are here for you," the taller girl finished.

"You are entitled to live in freedom, with no prejudices and discriminations…"

"…even gay people have rights!"

"And we will help you fight for it!" they both declared.

The two girls took each of the prince's hands and looked at him with shining eyes.

- o -

_Thursday_

_9:00 a.m.__, lockers  
_

Yuki rummaged through his locker with much annoyance a 16-year-old boy can fathom.

_Where is that book?_

He couldn't believe his luck. He left his book at his locker and forgot all about their reading assignment. Last week, he wouldn't believe that was even possible. But last week, he wasn't rumored to be gay.

Yuki kicked himself mentally.

_Why get all riled up? This'll pass. Rumors always do. Next week, they probably wouldn't remember this happened. This is not worth of my energy._

It comforted him somehow.

As he closed his locker, a boy was revealed, standing behind it.

"Hi, Yuki," he greeted shyly. He seemed to bea First Year.

'Uh, hi."

"These are for you."

The boy thrusted a bouquet of beautiful flowers to Yuki's face.

"I hope you'll like it," he blushed.

God, he badly wished this'll pass soon.

- o -

_Friday_

_11:00 a.m.__, by the cafeteria door  
_

Lunch time.

Yuki's dreaded time of the day.

Ever since that Monday at the cafeteria, he seemed to have developed a phobia at that place. Luckily for him, two of his lunch mates happened to be Arisa Uotani and Saki Hanajima.

He was grateful to have them. Unlike Tohru, they were aware of the predicament he was in, and yet, they never judged him. Not that he's ungrateful with Tohru… He is very grateful. He is even sure that when Tohru finds out, she won't judge him, too, just like her friends.

He just hoped that Tohru'll catch up on that soon, so as not to embarrass him more unconsciously.

Before Yuki could open the cafeteria door, a trio of girls stopped him.

He sighed.

If he could bottle up every one of his sighs, he could bring life to an un-livable planet.

"Yes?"

Now, which category do they belong to? With the bitchy gossipers? The terrified homophobe? The suicidal fans? The gay advocates? The blushing suitor-wannabe?

Oh, wait. They have to be gay and male to qualify for the last category. Scratch that.

Yuki gave them a questioning look.

"Oh my god! Oh my god! You are so hot!" squealed the first girl.

_Huh?_

"Yes! Yes! You are!" the second one excitedly answered.

_Huh?_

"I told you, a guy that handsome can't possibly be straight!" the third shrieked gleefully.

_Huh?_

"I know! Pretty boys are meant only for other pretty boys!" declared Girl Number 1.

Yuki almost face-vaulted. This was a whole new category.

_The_ _yaoi_ _freaks._

They all giggled.

"Say, Yuki…," Girl Number 2 began. "Who's the lucky guy?"

"Excuse me?"

"You would look sooo great with this guy at our class!" exclaimed Girl Number 3.

"Wha-"

"Yeah, he is such a hottie!" Girl Number 1 nodded vigorously.

"I don't-"

"Oh my god! Maybe he has a boyfriend already!" guessed Girl Number 2. "Does he study here, too?"

"No, I-"

"Oooh, I bet he's as beautiful as you!" Girl Number 3 proudly replied.

"I have to go," Yuki finally managed to say.

As he walked away, only one thing was on his mind… He has to do something. Fast.

**- tbc -**

**kaesaku:** too long? Well, I wanted to make up for my equally long absence.. hope you liked it. ;p

"A guy that handsome can't possibly be straight." -Jack, from Will Grace


	4. Ch 3: When the Cloud Reveals a Silver Li...

**kaesaku:** okay. first, let me tell you guys that I wasn't happy with furuba's ending. damn, why'd I have to watch it! wish I didn't. should've just stopped watching up to ritsu's episode.. grrr.. I'm so sorry if a lot of you liked it and if I'm offending anyone right now.. but, damn, I hated it must be the yaoi blood running through my veins.. one of the FEW hetero pairings I liked was that of full metal panic. although, sometimes, kaname still annoys me. I have a heavy heart right now.. I officially hated tohru in that episode.. sorry, tohru fans!

seriously though, I really hated it.. but then again, that's just my opinion, ayt? no need to flame me or kill me. but, oh my gawd! gyaaaahhh! I need inspiration.. any of the readers write good kyouXyuki stuff? need some really good shit to uplift my spirit now.. please? thanks, guys.

enough about that! time to thank some people! can't comment to all of your reviews, but I'll try next time.. if you want, you can email me. I'd love to have friends:D anyhow..

**SHOUT-OUTS TO:** **for sale **(thanks for pointing that one out!), **Polka dot**, **ToraTigera **(f'course, you're included! ;p), **DarkRoseBlood**, **Yukako**, **chibikoinu** (haha..), **Hiza-chan**, **Yume no Kokoro **(aww.. thanks:D), **shirahima-syo**, **secret dragon9**, **itzjustme **(wow! glad you tried to read this even though you're not that much into yaoi.. ;p), **ranchan-akari**, **jaky**, **carla.K**, **star182**, **chibichibi-neko**, **Chibi**** Rinku **(really? the first furuba fic you've read? I'm honored!), **kagi**** kitsune **(yes, I am completely sick. I'll take that as a compliment. ;p), **hana**** rui **(pervert! well, who am I to talk? ;p), **dizzy-otaku**, **manga**** crazy**, **javid**, **rainydays**, **my roommate MCKI **(bwahaha.. matt is OUT!), and **my kitsune-chan **:D

Standard disclaimers apply. (gedemmit, if it were mine you know the ending's definitely NOT like that.)

**Chapter 3: When the Cloud Reveals a Silver Lining…**

It had been two weeks since the rumor about Yuki Sohma's so-called sexual orientation started. Two _long_ weeks. Yet, the students of Kaibara High acted as if it were the first time they've heard of the rumor. There were still the laughter, the whispers, and the incessant grilling of who-you've-been-out-with's and will-you-go-out-with-me's. It was more than anyone can handle. But Yuki Sohma is _not_ just anyone.

At that particular day, though, he was _almost_ ready to give up. With the increasing phobia of eating at the cafeteria, Yuki Sohma, Student Council president, topnotcher, and resident heartthrob of Kaibara High, was doing the most pathetic (and yet, reasonable) thing he could think of: hiding. Complete with backing up at walls and sneaking peeks at crevices before brisk-walking to wherever destination.

_This has got to stop, _the silver-haired boy sighed heavily as he gripped the brown paper bag that housed his lunch food.

He walked towards the end of the hallway and turned left. Towards the place where he knew no one would disturb him with idiotic questions.

_I can't believe I'm changing my routine because of this,_ he thought grimly. It was stupid; how he, an impassive and calm boy all his life, could get so affected with_ this_. _It was an attack of character_, he always justified. Anyone could've been as agitated as him.

Yuki exhaled as he placed his hand on the doorknob. _Who knew being rumored gay was tiring?_ He rolled his eyes.

He turned the knob and pushed the door. Bright light accompanied with soft gusts of wind welcomed him. He sighed. This time, a relieved one.

_At last, peace and quiet._

Yuki entered, or in this case, exited the school, and was now on the rooftop. He walked to the far side, just to be sure, and decided to eat his lunch there.

And that was when Yuki saw him.

Him. The last person he needed to see here, in this rooftop, when he just managed to escape everyone in the Yuki-is-Gay world, when he was just about to eat and enjoy his lunch… He did not need to see the number one person who was most probably relishing on his humiliation for the past two weeks…

He did not need to see Kyou Sohma.

Yuki inwardly winced. How the hell did he forget that the rooftop was the cat's turf? It was a trivial thing. And yet, here he was, at the rooftop, holding his lunch bag, looking really exhausted and feeling really miserable for having to face his arch-rival in such a pitiable state. Oh, what luck.

_But hu-whyyy?_ Yuki wanted to scream dramatically to no one in particular, as it seemed like the universe conspired to make everything hard for him.

Fortunately, he wasn't Ayame.

Instead, he got back his cool and collected act and glared at the younger Sohma, preparing himself for the worst.

The orange-haired boy stood up from his position and brushed some dirt off his pants. He was about to shout the usual incentives at the rat, for disturbing him and trespassing _his_ place, but remembered that there were so many _other_ things that he can do.

_Far more entertaining and far more annoying, _Kyou thought sneakily.

"Well, if it isn't the school princess…" he snickered. "Don't you think this is a dirty place for you to eat your lunch?"

"Shut up, dimwit."

Kyou glared. _And he still has the guts to be arrogant!_

"Why you…" Then, suddenly, an idea struck him. "Your _boyfriend_ may get jealous when he sees you with another guy!"

Yuki's features darkened.

_Gotcha!_

"Stupid cat, what gave you the idea that I have one? Finally falling for my good looks?" the smaller Sohma replied.

"Teme…" How dare that stupid rat turn this on him!

"…oh, and if ever I was gay, I don't think my _boyfriend_ will get jealous of you," Yuki added. "I mean, come on…" he made a face.

"Gyaaah! You stupid rat! Always thinking you're much better than me!"

_This is better,_ Yuki thought. At least, it was the usual strain of Kyou-bad-mouthing than the attack of the-gay-personality.

Yuki rolled his eyes as his cousin continued to shout at him. It passed easily from his right ear to his left.

"…at least, I wasn't the one rumored gay!"

Oh, so they're back there again. And he thought it was just another ordinary shouting match.

"So what?" the silver-haired boy haughtily replied. "It's not true anyway!"

"Oh yeah?" Kyou countered. "Well, tell that to the press!"

The older Sohma slightly glowered.

"Ha!" Kyou said, gaining ground. "Everyone thinks you're gay! And there's nothing you can do about it!" he gleefully exclaimed.

Yuki narrowed his eyes. "I can prove them that I'm not."

"Oh really? How'ya gonna do that? Have a face-change?" the younger Sohma cackled loudly.

"That's. Not. Funny."

"Of course, it is!" he bellowed. "Tell me, how'ya gonna do that, rat! I want to know! Nyahahaha!"

A vein popped on Yuki's head.

"I mean, aside from changing your face, you have to change your clothes, your walk…" Kyou enumerated with his fingers. "Basically… everything!"

"Shut up."

Kyou laughed his ass off. He had never seen his cousin so riled up before now. Well, aside from the mention of their family head's name, Akito, but that's another story. He had never been so glad that he wasn't in Yuki's place. At least, now he knew that the perfect life of the rat wasn't so perfect after all.

The smaller boy narrowed his eyes.

"Don't you get it? There's nothing you can do about it! No one'll believe you're straight even if your life depended on it!"

That was the last straw for Yuki.

"Enough!" he snapped grabbing Kyou's collar. "Who do you think you are, anyway? The straight-man expert? For all we know, it could've happened to you!"

Kyou slapped Yuki's hand away. "Hell yeah, I am straight! And hell no, it would've NEVER happened to me!"

"You wish."

"Speak for yourself, rat!"

They both glared at each other in the silence that followed, sans their heavy breathing from the shouting match.

Yuki was the first who broke the silence. "What makes you think it wouldn't happen to you?"

"Because, I'm not like you! I'm man enough!"

"Are you saying I'm not?" Yuki exclaimed, fuming.

"Duh! Isn't that obvious?" Kyou rolled his eyes. "You love gardening, you only wear pressed clothes, you don't speak when your mouth is full, your hair has to be in proper order before you leave the house…" he relayed increduously. "You even excuse yourself when eating! I mean, come on! What. Is. That."

"A nice and respectable _straight_ guy."

"No!" the taller Sohma yelled. "Apparently, that spells fag!"

"Oh, so now you measure masculinity with… that!" the other boy yelled back.

Kyou only glared defiantly.

"That's unbelievable!" Yuki shook his head in disbelief. "Are you saying a guy has to be barbaric for people to believe he's straight?"

"Manly! Not barbaric!" the orange-haired boy replied defensively.

Yuki snorted. "That's judgmental."

"And that's what everybody thinks!" Kyou added with a smirk that Yuki oh-so-wanted to wipe off his face at the minute.

The silver-haired boy exhaled sharply.

"Face it, rat," Kyou continued. "You may be good in a lot of things… But you're just not…" he trailed off, then with much conviction added, "…_man_ enough."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, cat," the ice prince replied dangerously. "But, I believe there are more closet queens in your definition of manly."

"No way! Not possible!" the younger Sohma detested wildly. "We're manly! Not feminine! Feminine boys are usually the queer ones!"

"Really intelligent analogy," Yuki sarcastically retorted. "But, I don't think it's the macho image that makes up a person's manliness."

His cousin did have a point. "Maybe not sometimes…" Of course, he wasn't about to tell him that. "But, obviously, people at Kaibara High believe the exact opposite of what you're saying. Otherwise, you wouldn't still be stuck in the gay rut!"

Yuki groaned. "God, you really are stupid! This is just like the saying, 'Real men don't cry'. Well, that's bullshit!"

"And what everybody else thinks!" Kyou added again, without missing a bit.

Stress mixed with frustration had worked its way in Yuki's system. "Argh! This is stupid! This is pointless!" He was an inch away from pulling out all of his hair. Good thing, self-restraint, along with bits of his sanity was still present. "I am not changing who I am just to prove to people that I'm not gay."

"Whoever said you should! If you do that, we'd lose the entertainment!"

Kyou earned a lump in the head for that.

"Why you..."

"Wait."

"Huh?"

"Maybe I should do that," the prince said in a calmer manner.

Kyou looked on in confusion. "What?"

"Change. Just so everything'll stop," Yuki said matter-of-factly.

Oookay. Kyou was really confused now. "I thought you said you wouldn't!"

The smaller boy looked at him directly. "Yeah, but come to think of it, I just want it to end." Normally, it wasn't something you would admit to your mortal enemy. But since they had spent a good amount of time debating about the whole "manliness" issue, what the heck.

"Suit yourself," the taller boy shrugged. "As if you can do what real 'manly' men can do…" he couldn't help adding.

"That's where you come in."

"Excuse me?"

"You kept on bragging how manly you are…" Yuki said nonchalantly.

"Who told you I'd help you?" the younger Sohma berated loudly.

"No one did. And I'm not _telling_ you…" Yuki sighed before he continued. He suffered too much humiliation already. What's another one, right? "…I'm _asking_ you." He looked at Kyou in an expressionless way. His cousin didn't have to know that he was, rather, feeling expectant. That's way too much humiliation.

"You're what?" a surprised Kyou inquired.

_Damn, do I have to repeat that?_ Yuki let out his breath. Fine, he would say it again. "I'm asking you… to help me…"

Kyou blinked. Was he hearing it right? Yuki? His cousin? His rival? Mr. Perfect? The rat asking him for help?

"So, would you help me?" Yuki wanted to appear as nonchalant as possible. He wanted to look like he didn't care if Kyou would help him or not, although he seriously wished he would, but he didn't have to tell that to his cousin or to anyone else for that matter.

"Wha?"

Could his cousin possibly be _that_ stupid? "I said," slowly and clearly, "would you help me?" Oh yeah, the magic word. "Please?" he added fighting the urge to roll his eyes.

The confused look never left the orange-haired boy's face. "I don't think I heard you right, were you asking for my help?"

Yuki would have sweatdropped right then and there, but for the sake of being civil, he replied as politely as he could. "For the sake of your teaspoon of knowledge, and may you fathom it now… Will. You. Help. Me."

Kyou blinked again, as if his rapid eye movement could make his processing faster.

"Well?"

And finally, it hit him. "No! Noooo! Why would I do that? You should suffer! You deserved it, anyway!"

Something was struck inside Yuki. He deserved it, huh? How stupid of him to actually _hope_ that the cat would help him…

"Right. Right, I deserve this," he muttered. "It was stupid of me to think you can help." He turned towards the rooftop's door, more than ready to leave this place, this embarrassing moment, and this pathetic state behind him.

The younger Sohma turned to look at his cousin. The one everyone admired and loved. Here he was, looking forlorn and defeated, all because of one stupid rumor. Kyou always fought with him, but he never saw him wear this kind of expression before. It was, actually, pitiable.

Kyou debated with himself whether to call back his cousin or just leave him be. As much as he hated the rat, the other part of him, the one that wanted to call back Yuki, won. He mentally kicked himself for feeling sorry for the rat.

"Wait."

"Look, cat," Yuki said in an exhausted voice. "I'd have enough with you. It was a tiring day and I haven't eaten lunch…"

"What do I get?" he interrupted.

"Huh?"

"What do I get?" he repeated. "If I help you…"

Yuki's spirits were lifted as soon as he heard the word 'help' come out from his cousin's mouth. _There is a god._ "Well, uhm… Depends, I guess. If your theory works…"

"Fact! Not theory!" Kyou corrected him.

Yuki almost smirked. "Right, if it works. Then, I don't know… Whatever you want, I guess…" He really wasn't thinking much of what Kyou was asking. All he knew was that there was a possible way of ridding himself from his current mess.

"Whatever I want?"

Uh-oh. _That sounded bad coming from Kyou... _What did he have in mind? Was it bad? Then again, how bad could it be? Nothing's worse than to be mistaken as a gay boy. "Uh, yeah," he answered as he made up his mind. "That is, if you can guarantee that it'll work…"

"Of course, it will!" Kyou replied confidently. "Once people see how manly, and NOT how _feminine_ you are," he emphasized. "…then, they'd believe that you're really straight!" As an afterthought, "You really are straight, aren't you?"

"Of course, I am!" Yuki answered a bit too loudly than necessary.

Kyou exhaled. "Okay, I actually thought you weren't. You can't blame me, though."

And he earned another lump in the head for that.

"Ow! That hurt!" he said as he rubbed his head. Then, he remembered… "Hmm, what should I get from you?"

"My place in the family?" Yuki mumbled without interest.

Kyou made a face. "That's overrated! You know I'm so over that!" He lightened a bit when he remembered their other cousins, though. "Although, I wouldn't mind the idea of you praising me in front of Shigure, Hatori, Ayame…"

"That's it? Fine. Deal."

"No, that's not it!" An annoyed cat yelled. "Stupid rat, trying to trick me again!" Then, with seriousness he said, "I want you to say it like you mean it!"

"Fine." The stoic look was back.

"And…"

"There's more?" The stoic look was gone.

"Hell yeah! Making a man out of you is not gonna be an easy task, you know," he replied smugly. "I mean, just your face will take a lot of work…"

And another lump was earned.

"Ouch! Will you stop doing that?"

"Fine. Just get on with it!" an equally annoyed Yuki said.

"Okay, okay. Then how about you do everything I say… for a month?"

"A month?" a flabbergasted rat exclaimed. Do everything that stupid cat says in one, WHOLE month? That was too much!

Kyou had that do-you-want-me-to-help-you-or-not look on his face. It clearly said, 'You can't argue with this one.'

"Yeah! You don't expect people to believe you're straight in a couple of weeks, do you?"

"Actually, I did." Yuki narrowed his eyes at the cat. "Obviously, I'm wrong."

"Yeah, you're wrong. Because from now on, I'm always right! Got that?" The smug look was already on full-force at Kyou's face.

_He's gonna help you. He's gonna help you._ Yuki chanted on his mind as he had another urge to crack open his cousin's obnoxious and arrogant skull. "Yeah."

"Say it like you mean it..." Kyou said in what Yuki can decipher as an almost sing-song voice.

"Yes, I got it," he answered stiffly. "You're always right."

"Good," the other boy replied. "Now, where were we? Oh yeah, doing everything I say…"

_I will not kill him. I will not kill him._ "Define everything," he gritted through his teeth.

"From eating my share of leeks to doing my homework…"

"Alright," Yuki heaved a sigh of relief. "I could do that."

But Kyou wasn't finished. "…and agreeing with everything I say in front of OTHER people."

"What?" the older Sohma shrieked. "I can't do that! Who knows what kind of stupidity would come out of your mouth?"

"Do you want my help or not?" Kyou bellowed.

Yuki had no choice. Because, clearly, if he had one, he wouldn't have been here in the first place, bargaining with his cousin. And he thought he was already in a big mess.

"Fine, fine. I'll do it. I'll be your slave for a month," Yuki muttered. "It could have been worse, right?"

"Yep. You could have been my _gay_ slave for a month," he guffawed at his own joke.

Violet eyes glared at his direction. Kyou only laughed harder.

"Stop it!" Yuki snapped. "You haven't even told me what exactly we're going to do yet…"

"You wait and see, rat," he told his cousin bossily. "In a few weeks, Im'a make a REAL man out of you, they wouldn't even recognize you!"

It was like something that Ayame would say, not Kyou. And with that thought, Yuki knew something downright scary was going to happen.

Somebody help him.

But that was Kyou's job now, right?

**- tbc -**

**kaesaku: **kyou's opinions on this fic about how men _should_ be is in no way like mine. 'should' being the operative word, as we all know that there are still stereotypical guys out there who think that men should have this sort-of macho image to prove to others that they are, indeed, men. I pity them.

Don't worry, kyou won't stay that way for long.


	5. Ch 4: When the Clothes Make the Man

**kaesaku: **yes, it's true! I'm back! I made this chappie EXTRA long for everyone who waited for this installment and for everyone who hated me for updating in such a looong time. But I did so there, hope everyone's happy. )

**Warning: **This fic contains yaoi (boy-to-boy loving), KyouXYuki pairing, and outfit-bashing.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Furuba, Kyou, Yuki, Haru, and the rest of the Sohmas… so please, don't sue me. I'm just a simple yaoi-addict currently employed as an ESL teacher with a minimum wage salary. Please be kind.

**Chapter 4: When the Clothes Make the Man…**

Make-over. That's the first step. But the term make-over was often used among fashionable girls who wanted to transform ugly, nerdy, and loserly, creatures to beings who are worth giving a second look. And he was most definitely NOT a girl.

"An _overhaul_," he said haughtily to the smaller boy in front of him. "…that's exactly what we you need."

So he racked his brain for that particular word, so what? _Overhaul_ sounded more manly than _make-over_. And hell, he wouldn't use a less-than-manly term at this moment. Not when his less-than-manly cousin was standing in front of him, hoping for him to improve his current less-than-manly gender status. It would have tainted his credibility.

"An overhaul!" You make me sound like a beat-up car."

"Shut up, damn rat! Don't you dare insult my vocabulary!"

The said rat sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. Overhaul it is. So, what're we gonna do now, Kyou-sama?"

Kyou scowled at his cousin's sarcasm. Annoyed that he still has the guts to act oh-so-proud despite his prevailing predicament.

_Damn rat. I'll show him who's the boss here._

"Let's go to your room. Now."

- o -

Yuki Sohma had never imagined that at one point of his life, he would have spent his Saturday afternoon in his room, with his cousin Kyou.

_This is…strange,_ the silver-haired boy thought as he looked over his cousin's shoulder, wondering what the younger boy was up to. His eyes widened with what he saw.

_What. The. Hell. Is. He. Doing._

There, at the foot of his closet with his "genius" cousin was a messy pile of clothes. _His_ clothes, to be exact. And one knew that you can never put "messy" and "pile" in one word group when describing Yuki Sohma's clothes.

"Oi, baka. What do you think you're doing?"

"Shut up! I'm trying to look for something!" the orange-haired boy answered as he rummaged through Yuki's wardrobe.

"Well, try not to murder my clothes in the process."

Crimson eyes glared at the older Sohma. "I'm trying to _help_ you, at least show some appreciation!"

"Hmm… Appreciation. What a big word…"

"Teme…" The cat growled and prepared to strangle the other boy. But he thought against it and decided to do what Yuki was afraid that he'll do. Walk away.

"O-oi. Where are you going?" A surprised Yuki inquired.

"Away!" Kyou yelled before storming out of Yuki's room. He closed the door with a bang and stood in front of it with his arms crossed. Then, slowly, a sly smile formed on his lips.

_5…_

_4…_

_3…_

_2…_

_1…_

A creak.

"Wait."

_Gotcha._

The door opened slightly, revealing silver hair. "Okay, sorry. Just go inside and let's get this over with."

Kyou almost broke into a grin, but he controlled it and instead, cleared his throat and settled his face into a scowl before facing Yuki.

"Only sorry?"

Violet eyes blinked in confusion, and then, as if ice-cold water was poured on him, it slowly dawned on Yuki that he was in no position, no position at all, to insult, taunt, and make fun of Kyou's sudden vocabulary development. Because as of yesterday, he had officially sold his soul to the devil. Or rather, his cousin.

_Which basically means that whatever he says, I do,_ thought Yuki grimly.

The smaller Sohma made it a point to remember that fact (carve it on his head, if he can) before he even thought of doing something that he might regret later on.

_Like now…_ He mentally kicked himself.

He stopped the urge to roll his eyes and smack the life out of the boy in front of him who was looking high-and-mighty.

_Really, does the stupid cat get some sort of 'high' with this torture?_

"I ought to punish you for that, you know!"

Answer is most definitely a yes.

Yuki sighed. "Okay, okay. I'll do whatever you want. It's all part of the deal anyway," he mumbled. "Just go in now and do your part, too!"

"Ooh, so eager to get me in your room now, huh!" Kyou smugly exclaimed. Realizing what he just said, a blush crept slowly on the loud Sohma's face. After all, one can put a _different_ meaning on what he just said.

"I-I mean, of course I will do my part! As a matter of fact, I was doing my part pretty damn well before you decided to throw me out of your room!" The orange-haired boy almost stuttered.

"I didn't throw you out. You walked out," came the crisp reply.

"Whatever!" he said as he breezed past Yuki into the room, toward the prince's messy pile of clothes.

He still had no idea what the younger Sohma was getting at. That was until Yuki saw him eyeing a garment, complete with a crinkled nose and furrowed eyebrows, and a declaration of, "Throw this out. You need a new wardrobe."

And that was it. The first step to Kyou Sohma's "Project: Overhaul". A wardrobe change. Somehow, the thought didn't clam the usually calm Sohma. The stupid cat in-charge of his wardrobe! The prince cold-sweated. But then again, it could have been worse.

_At least, it wasn't Ayame…_

Right.

The silver-haired boy let out his breath. He didn't even realize he was holding it in the first place.

"So… What should I do then?"

"Buy new clothes, of course!" the cat replied matter-of-factly as he continued to dig in Yuki's wardrobe.

When one digs in religiously, one is bound to find a treasure. And that's what Kyou seemed to have achieved.

"Oh my god, take a look at this!" Kyou held out an exquisite Chinese top, while he guffawed loudly. "This is so gay!"

…_which is incidentally, my favorite top!_ Yuki glared at his cousin as he snatched his 'ex-favorite' top from the grasp of his evil cousin. "Shut up!"

But the other lad was still enjoying the situation too much to trade insults with his fuming cousin. He picked each suspicious garment (from his point of view, anyway) in sight and his comments never seemed to end.

"You wear _this color_!"

"Flower prints!"

"Shit, where did you buy this? The girls' department!"

"Oh, Gap alright… Gap for Her!"

"No guy would be caught wearing this!"

"Hey, is this a dress?"

Yuki's head throbbed. All he really wanted to do was kick the cat's ass so hard he wouldn't be able to sit for a month. But, kicking Kyou's ass would mean no help, and no help would mean getting stuck in this gay rut. The quiet Sohma inhaled deeply for the nth time that day.

"Well, you seem to be enjoying yourself…"

Kyou snorted. "Who wouldn't!" But he soon got a hold of his laughter and went back to business. He straightened himself then turned serious. "Okay, let's get to work."

Under different circumstances, this would've made the ice prince laugh. It was all so hilarious; Kyou so serious about this whole make-over project, so eager to make it successful; whereas it was he, Yuki, archrival of the said cat, who will be the main subject on this project. It was funny, in a demented way.

Yuki glanced at his cousin's determined face. Suddenly, the urge to laugh left him. He closed his eyes and massaged his temples, willing for the headache to go away. And maybe, just maybe, when he opend his eyes, everything will be back to normal. No pile of messy clothes in his room. No annoying cat in front of him. No gay rumor.

He opened his violet eyes slowly, giving a firm nod to the taller boy in front of him. "Yep, let's get to work."

Oh yes, the universe has one sick sense of humor.

- o -

"Where are we going? And what're we doing again?"

"Would you just keep your mouth shut? Making me deaf won't solve your problems, y'know!"

_I am making him deaf!_ Yuki blinked. _Power tripper._

"We're here!" the taller of the two boys exclaimed.

"We're in a mall."

Kyou groaned. Really, was his cousin the top student? He could sure use his brain now for other things than identifying places in the community.

"Duh! Of course, we are! Why'd you think I brought you here for? To watch a movie!"

The smaller boy glared at Kyou. His loud cousin sure has a knack for rubbing every wrong thing he said or did in his face.

"Well, sorry! For a minute there, I thought you were taking me out on a date!" Yuki retorted as his last strand of patience snapped.

"Why you…" Tanned hands clenched into fists. "If I were to go out on a date, it won't be with a queer like you!"

The silver-haired Sohma gasped in surprise. _That stupid cat is going overboard!_ "Fine. Not with a queer like _me_… but whoever your date is, I'm sure it's definitely ugly!"

"Teme! What're you trying to say, rat! That you're the only beautiful person date-able!" the cat answered back gruffly.

"Thanks for the compliment, stupid cat!"

Now, it's Kyou's turn to be surprised. _Kuso! Why can't I win any verbal argument with this damn rat!_ He cringed as he remembered how he vocally acknowledged that the rat was _beautiful_!

_Ugh! It's because no one can call him handsome with that stupid face of his!_ He justified.

The two boys narrowed their eyes at each other. But before both of them commit any other damage to each other's limbs (and the mall), a young lady approached them.

"Good afternoon. May I help you?" she inquired politely with a smile.

Both boys blinked, as if waking up from a trance. Kyou was the first to react.

"Oh, right. We're here," he simply said, then proceeded inside.

Yuki followed him, the girl completely ignored, and scanned the place. There was a shelf of shirts on the right and beside it, a shelf of polos. There were also jackets and sweaters on the other side. At the far end were pants and beside it were belts and socks. At the opposite end were shoes.

_This is it,_ the prince thought. _Step Number 1 to Kyou Sohma's solution… So help me, god…_

- o -

Crimson eyes glared at the gray door in front of him. If his eyes could burn, the door would have been in raging flames now. A vein popped on the temple of the owner of the said eyes. He took a deep breath, stepped towards the door, and as much as he wanted to burn the door to ashes unrecognizable by men, he opted for a less hazardous (also less messier and expensive) choice through knocking – no, make that banging – on the poor door.

But somehow, burning it still seemed like the best option.

_And toast that girly-looking, flower-print-wearing, fitting-room-hogging damn rat in the process!_

"Dammit, rat! Would you just get the hell outta that stupid fitting room!" his voice roared as he continued banging the door.

A few of the customers nearby glanced around nervously.

He growled as he continued to bang the door that seemed ready to give up on its hinges.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming," a cold voice coming from behind the door sliced through all the noise that the loud boy was making.

"About time, y'know," came the gruff reply. "I'm not getting any younger here!"

The door slowly opened. The loud boy waited with bated breath for his subject's transformation to be revealed. And as the door became fully opened for all to see (or rather for all of his two crimson eyes to see), his face twitched, his nostrils flared, and whatever he was trying to suppress burst out.

He laughed. Out loud.

"Nyahahahaha!" Kyou guffawed with his finger pointing at the smaller boy who just emerged from the fitting room. "Wha..the.. Nyahaha!"

The silver-haired boy blushed from embarrassmen. "Will you stop laughing?" he ordered icily. "What's so damn funny!"

"You!" the orange-haired boy exclaimed, still clutching his stomach.

Vein throb alert.

A pale hand grabbed the taller boy's collar. "Don't you dare laugh at what I'm wearing, cat. You're the one who chose this!"

Tha cat snorted.

"Wasn't my fault it didn't fall nicely on you!" he snickered. As an afterthought, he added, "Homie!"

Yuki didn't know he could blush and glare at the same time until this moment.

"Well, it wasn't my fault either, that the clothes were too loose for my body frame!"

"They're supposed to be _baggy_, not loose!" Kyou argued.

Yuki raised an eyebrow. "There's a difference?"

The taller boy refrained himself from pulling out his orange hair. "A _normal_ guy would have made it look cool," he explained with as much self-control as he could muster. "…not make himself look like some ghetto, hip-hopper, underage Eminem wannabe!"

Yuki suddenly wished that the department store floor would just open up and swallow him whole at the moment. He was wearing black sweatpants that he thought could accommodate another person inside, an oversized jersey shirt that can pass up as a nightgown, and a gray hooded jacket that most probably weighed as much as his comforter at home (yes, it was _that_ heavy). Did he look funny? He didn't need to answer that question.

The snickers his stupid cousin made woke him from his reverie. He glared hard at the orange-haired boy. "Well then, now what?"

"Go back inside and take off everything," he ordered his cousin as he shooed him back to the fitting room. "I'll go get a new set of clothes."

"Better be a good set, stupid cat," the smaller cousin replied before entering the fitting room.

"Then, you better wish yourself good luck," the taller boy retorted. "Not like I have bad taste," he told himself a little less loudly. "…it's just that nothing manly would look good on him!"

A rumple of clothes.

Footsteps.

And banging on the door.

Another set of rumples.

And the sound of the fitting room door creaking open.

A second of silence.

And then, déjà vu.

"Nyahahahaha!" Kyou laughed hysterically. "You look like a washed-out cowboy straight out of a crappy, cheap western movie!" And as an afterthought, "…or Brokeback Mountain!"

A pair of jeans on his face were the only answer.

They repeated that scene a couple more times; the next one wherein Yuki looked like a "homeless, abandoned child-soldier" (too much fatigue) and the other one wherein he looked like "the son of the devil" (too much black).

"Are you really helping me, idiot? Or are you just making fun of me by giving me these costumes?" the usually calm Sohma demanded.

"Wha.. I… Of course, I'm helping you!" Kyou huffed. "That's the last batch!" He shoved a couple more clothes into Yuki's hands. He added, "I doubt you'd complain with that!" And as the door to the fitting room closed, "Can't a guy have a little fun while _helping_?" He shook his head irritably.

Back inside the cramped excuse for a fitting room, Yuki stopped the urge to bang his head to the wall. He'd been having these urges a lot lately.

_The last batch_, he thought grimly as he proceeded to put the clothes on.

A few minutes later, he was finished dressing up and he could say that he agreed with Kyou about not complaining on the last batch of clothes handed to him. Of course, he wouldn't dare say that aloud. As he was about to get out of the fitting room, something caught his ear. An unusual sound behind his wall. Curiosity got the best of him, so he pressed his ear on the wall to hear clearly.

His violet eyes widened and a pink stain tinged his cheeks.

The sound were made by two people.

And it sounded like they were having…

"Oh my god!" Yuki cringed. How could couples do _that_ in a random place, much more on a _public_ one!

The violet-eyed boy was about to ignore said noises slash moans slash grunts when a not-so tiny detail caught his attention again.

_Those voices!_

He leaned closer to the wall and his eyes almost bulged out from the sudden realization.

_They were both men!_

Yuki stepped back hastily from the wall. He turned the knob and opened the door.

"Kyou!"

The younger Sohma turned at the voice that sounded clipped than usual.

"Done?"

"No. Come inside."

Kyou had the decency to look shocked. "Now, why would I do that!"

"Just do it."

Before he got the chance to reply, he was grabbed and locked in that cramped room with none other else than his stupid cousin.

"Dammit! What's your problem!"

"Sshh… Listen," Yuki whispered pointing to the wall.

Kyou rolled his eyes but followed suit. Not a second had even passed when his crimson eyes widened and a visible pink stain, the same one his pale cousin was wearing, slowly tinged his cheeks.

"Oh, shit!" he grimaced.

"And I think they're both male," his smaller cousin said with a crinkle on his nose.

"Oh, shiiitt!"

"This is gross. Let's get out of here." The pale Sohma turned the knob.

"Whose idea was it to play voyeur on them anyway?" Crimson eyes taunted.

"I wasn't –" Yuki began. He turned the knob again.

"What wasn't?"

Another turn.

"It's not opening."

"Huwhaaat!" Kyou pushed Yuki away and took his turn in opening the door. It didn't budge.

"God dammit! We're fuckin' locked!"

"No, we're not! Give it to me."

Still, no budge.

"Great! You got me involved into this sick voyeurism habit of yours and now I'm locked in this hellhole with little amount of oxygen with none other than you! Just great, rat!"

"Will you shut up for a while? I'm trying to figure out a way to get us out of here."

Kyou hissed. "Let me do it! You might get us into more trouble!"

Yuki opened his mouth to respond. "Me? You stupid –"

"I'm stupid? No! You're stupid!"

The two grappled for the door knob, when suddenly, bright lights and loud chatter welcomed them as they forward on top of each other.

The door had, unfortunately, opened.

"Tsk, tsk… Young people today…"

"Yeah, you would think at least they'd have the decency to do things like _that_ in private places…"

"It's such a shame, _she_ seemed like a nice girl…"

"Manners, all gone…"

Both Sohmas wished they could just melt as they heard some of the comments from passerbys.

"Ahem."

They both looked up and saw a stern-looking saleslady.

"If you're not going to buy anything from this store, I suggest that you leave." An eyebrow arched. "And have your playtime elsewhere. Where costumers wouldn't be bothered."

"Hey, lady –"

"We're sorry," Yuki interrupted before Kyou could turn it into a full-pledge shouting match. "We're going to buy this." He picked up a dark-colored jacket that wasn't too baggy or cowboy-ish and a pair of jeans that weren't too tight.

"Follow me to the counter, then."

- o -

The walk home from the department store to their home was full of curses on locked fitting room doors, blame on girly-looking cousins, and threats to unfriendly salesladies.

It was splitting a certain silver-haired boy's head.

"Could you please just shut up, you stupid cat?" an enraged Yuki yelled. "All this was your idea and I followed you, so what're you complaining about?" He took a deep breath. "yeah, it messed up, but that's done already. There's nothing we can do about it!" He crossed his arms. "If you're so pissed off about it, then just call this whole thing off."

Kyou's face hardened.

"Are you saying I'm a quitter?" He fisted Yuki's shirt in his hand. "I never quit. I'm not calling this off." He released his smaller cousin and walked straight to their house. "Not even a hundred unfriendly salesladies could make me quit!"

Yuki smirked. His cousin was so predictable. A little taunting and he's back to action again.

"Oh, and wear those clothes tomorrow. Tha yankee and the gothic girl are visiting Tohru," Yuki heard before the mop of orange hair disappeared inside the house.

_Tomorrow, huh…_

Violet eyes were deep in thought.

_Let the test drive begin…_

**- tbc -**


	6. Ch 5: When a Book is Judged by its Cover

**kaesaku: **Kill me now. I know, I know.. M'so sorry this took almost forever. This chapter was immediately written after my last update (yes, that was last year), but I lost my precious notebook (which includes ALL the chapter outlines for this fic) and hence, the very, very late update. My apologies.

So without further ado, I present the latest chappie.. So sorry for any grammatical errors, English is not my native language.. And I don't have a beta. Never did.

**Disclaimer: **Fruits Basket is not mine.

**Chapter 5: When a Book is Judged by its Cover…**

A pair of amethyst eyes squinted at the glare of sunlight that entered the window.

_Too damn bright._

He rolled to the opposite side and shut his eyes again. He suddenly wished that shutting his eyes would erase his memories of the events that happened yesterday.

"Ugh!" the silver-haired boy flung a pillow to his face.

Everything that had happened to him these past few weeks had been an embarrassment, no less.

Especially the one yesterday.

The pale-skinned boy stopped battling with what was left of his so-called peaceful sleep and stared at the ceiling. He vaguely recalled the series of unfortunate events that had befallen on him.

Asking help from his idiot cousin was, by far, number one on the 'Stupid Things That Yuki Sohma Did' list. Going shopping with him was number two.

"And being brainwashed in wearing those clothes in front of all our friends was number three..." he added with a groan.

The prince of Kaibara High burrowed his face deeper onto his pillow. Even with closed eyes, he could still see the vivid shock (or was that horror?) on the faces of Arisa Uotani, Saki Hanajima, and... Tohru Honda.

Okay, so Tohru's reaction wasn't nearly that of horror. After all, a reaction that went, "Oh, Yuki-kun, you look... _different_" did not necessarily connote horror.

Did it?

On the other hand, Uotani's reaction was more _upfront. _Although it did seem out of line, the way she looked at the wardrobe change in a very different perspective. But still, it didn't seem like a positive one. The reaction "Oi, prince. Have you cut down on eating? You're clothes seem... loose. Don't tell us you're sick! Or on a diet!", which was followed by Tohru's ramblings of not cooking well and and not making sure dear Yuki-kun was eating properly can hardly be considered positive.

Of course, there's Saki who just stared at him. But not without saying, "You're fine the way you are, Sohma-san" first. He didn't know what to think of it.

And while all that fiasco was happening at the Sohma house in the woods where they were all supposedly having a nice, peaceful snack and game of cards, a certain orange-haired boy was washing his hands clean by avoiding the glares that the amethyst-eyed boy was directing at him.

The latter snuggled deeper into the pillow. His current anchor to sanity.

_Maybe I should just lock myself here and be a bane to human existence. I have no more room for humiliation. _

Just then the door burst open and interrupted his semi-suicidal thoughts. He sat up with a jerk, surprised at the intrusion.

"There's this thing called knocking!" he spat at the intruder.

The intruder rolled his crimson eyes and shut the door.

"Shitty rat, don't tell me you're still sulking because of what happened yesterday!"

The rat's glare intensified. "Go away!'

"No," the taller boy replied with his arms crossed. "Today's day two of your rehabilitation. Get up so we could start to work!" he exclaimed as he kicked the bed.

Yuki gave him a bewildered look. "Day two?" He shook his head as if the action would clear his thoughts. "No! No more day two!" He sighed. "Look, it didn't work. It failed. And you didn't exactly do anything while I was being roasted in the hot seat!"

It was Kyou's turn to sputter. "Wha- wait here! If I said something, then they would have found out that I was _helping _you! That would've made you look guilty!" He glared at the boy in the bed then mumbled, "Although why I'm covering this whole shit up, I don't know... Stupid rat!"

The stupid cat did have a point.

Kyou could see Yuki's resolve slowly crumbling. He inwardly smirked. "Day two is slowly ticking away, shithead. So get your lazy ass outta that bed!' he ordered with another kick before moving towards the door.

"Since when did you start ordering me around?" Yuki muttered with less venom than before.

Kyou, who was halfway out of the door, stopped and turned to look at him. "Since you so willingly placed your life in my hands, damn rat," he answered haughtily.

Yuki flung a pillow at the smug-looking cat, but hit the door instead. His aiming, as well as every bit of his life, was off and it didn't help that the stupid cat was right. Again. He just have to rub it in, that sadistic bastard.

The silver-haired boy sighed and started to make his bed. Another day, another problem. another probable solution. What did he get to lose anyway?

And just in case the plan today wouldn't work, there's always day three.

- o -

The day was turning out to be a good one for a certain Sohma. First, he had the chance to see his usually calm and controlled cousin looking like a panic-stricken lost animal. Second, he had the chance to order said cousin around and get him to do anything he wanted. And third, he was going to have the chance (finally!) to show said cousin his expertise... in certain things.

Indeed, the day was turning out to be a good one.

"So, what're we gonna do today?" his smaller cousin asked lifelessly as he poked the rice on the bowl with his chopsticks.

It was a good thing that both Tohru and Shigure were out that day. Tohru was working at her part-time job and Shigure was, well, doing... business.

_Or the snake_, Kyou thought with a shudder, suddenly feeling sick.

"Oi, cat," Yuki began.

"Yes, yes," Kyou answered irritably. "I have a plan, y'know!" He shook the gross thought away.

"Fine," Yuki mumbled. "I'm listening."

Kyou raised an eyebrow. Maybe it would have been better if their two other housemates were here. They would die from shock after they hearing the words 'I'm listening' come out from Yuki's mouth, and moreso, to see that it was directed to him, his archrival and nemesis, Kyou.

But then again, that's not a normal occurrence and they would think that something's up. They would get suspicious.

Suspicion was never good.

"Well, the clothes didn't seem to work-"

"Didn't seem? It sucked!"

"Rat, if I were you, I would shut up!"

Yuki huffed and crossed his arms.

Kyou straightened his shirt.

"As I was saying before I was rudely interrupted, manly clothes didn't seem to click well with you..."

Yuki's eyebrow twitched.

Kyou suppressed the evil snigger that was threatening to surface.

"...but, you don't have to worry because manliness is not measured on clothes alone."

"Oh, really," the smaller boy muttered.

Kyou glared at him. "I heard that!"

Yuki stopped the urge to poke the chopsticks into those orange eyes.

"So, we'll take this a step further. Away from the physical aspect..." He eyed Yuki, "...because it looks like there's no solution to that," he continued, "and more on the content."

Yuki stared at the taller boy. _Oh my god, who is this guy? _"So, you're saying..."

"I'm saying," the taller boy interrupted, not wanting the limelight to be stolen from him. "...is that if we can't work out the clothes, then we'll work out on the personality."

Yuki blinked.

"Y'know, your hobbies, things you like to do, where you hang-out, stuff like that," the cat said matter-of-factly.

"I know what personality is."

"Just making sure!"

"Oh."

"It's easy."

"Really."

Kyou looked pointedly at the smaller boy. "You don't believe me."

"You're not the one who's gonna have a personality change!"

"Fine!" Kyou yelled. "Be gay for all I care!"

Yuki gave a long-suffering sigh. Why must he endure this? Was he a hard-core homophobic criminal in his past life and this was his karma? And why, oh why, must he always be the first one to concede?

Yuki placed his head in his hands. "Okay, I give up. You win." He stopped the urge to pull his hair in different directions. "How do we do this?"

A single admission of dependency from the rat was enough to switch the cat's surly mood to excited-but-trying-to-hide-it-by-becoming-a-know-it-all bastard.

"Simple," the orange-haired boy smirked in that haughty matter he seemed to have gotten accustomed to these past few weeks. "We'll hang-out," he paused a second for a more dramatic effect, "...the guy way."

Fifteen minutes and twenty-five seconds later, Yuki Sohma found himself face-to-face with a big screen of fighting overactive ninjas.

He turned to scowl at the boy beside him. "Tell me, why am I _here _with you?"

Kyou rolled his eyes. "Do I have to repeat myself to you every two seconds?"

Two tokens were dropped at the slot in the center of the machine and the ninjas began to show off their skills. Yuki swore _his _ninja glared at him.

"Told you we're gonna hang-out the guy way," Kyou said as he flopped on the seat in front of the machine. "And by gods, that does not include planting strawberries in your garden..." The taller Sohma tipped his head to the seat beside him, urging his cousin to sit. Yuki eyed the seat like it was a snake that was about to attack him before sitting down on it.

"Oh, and going to the arcade is?" the smaller boy asked irritably.

"Look around you, rat."

Yuki scanned the video arcade. There were young boys, teenage boys, and even some middle-aged men all seemingly absorbed with the machine in front of them. And his idiot cousin's point is...?

"As you can see, most people who go here are boys," he heard Kyou say, as if reading his thoughts. He continued, "Boys who don't even emit half of your gay aura."

Yuki's vein throbbed. That bastard...

"Shall we begin?"

"Wha-"

Before Yuki could comprehend what was happening, his eyes flickered to the big screen in front of him. A blonde-haired ninja was beating the hell out of a dark-haired one.

"Oi, rat," a voice sliced through his thoughts. "You're supposed to push the buttons to make your player move, y'know."

"I'm not stupid."

"Well, you sure are acting like one now," the cat couldn't help but snicker. "And so is your ninja!"

Yuki didn't bother pushing any of the buttons, though. Instead, he faced the boy beside him. "What the hell do you think you're doing, stupid cat?"

"Winning! You're ninja wasn't even able to land a kick..." Kyou shook his head.

"You know I'm not referring to that..."

Kyou faced his cousin. "If anyone asks you about your hobbies, tell them you like video games. All real boys do. Everyone would buy that stupid rumor if you mention even an inkling of fondness towards gardening. That's my point in bringing you here and I hope that thick head of yours finally got it." He turned back his attention to the screen and dropped two more tokens into the slot. "Now, move your damn fingers. I want a hard-earned victory."

Loud music blared from the machine speakers, a signal that round two was about to begin. The violet-eyed boy faced the screen too, his cousin's words slowly sinking in.

He hated it whenever his cousin made a good point.

- o -

"You cheated!"

"Did not," a calm reply was heard. "You just..." violet eyes twinkled in amusement, "...sucked."

"I do not suck in that game! I _never _suck in that game!" the louder of the two yelled. "How can you be an expert in 3 minutes?"

The smaller boy shrugged nonchalantly. "Guess I'm a genius," he replied with a hint of smugness.

The two continued their banter, which if one who knew both boys well took notice of, might have seemed a bit friendlier than their usual verbal spats. It was as if they weren't really insulting each other, but rather, teasing each other in a playful way.

And of course, that was strange. Because the words 'Yuki', 'Kyou', and 'playful' would never bode well in one sentence.

They reached the door to their house, still engaged in their mock-insulting conversation, when suddenly, the door burst open revealing their nosy, annoying, equally-loud guardian-slash-cousin Shigure Sohma.

"Where have the two of you been?"

The vision of their leering cousin brought the two boys back to their places, suddenly remembering that they were 'Kyou' and 'Yuki', 'cat' and 'rat', and that they weren't supposed to be _enjoying _a night of video games at the arcade with each other's company, nonetheless, because it was just not possible. Seeing Shigure was like getting ice-cold water dumped on your head while in the middle of a nice dream. Not that being with each other seemed like a nice dream, of course.

And since cats hated water with all their might, Kyou was the first to react. "None of your business, dog!" he yelled grumpily, all good mood forgotten, as he stomped to the direction of his room.

Shigure, being Shigure, wasn't as much fazed with his younger cousin's display of annoyance. He was used to it, after all. He turned to Yuki to repeat the question. Apparently, the boy was too fast for him, giving him an answer before he can verbalize the question.

"Just as the cat said, it's none of your business, Shigure," he answered with less annoyance and more grace than Kyou did. He neatly took of his shoes, put on his house slippers, and started to head towards his room, too.

"Well, whatever it is," he heard Shigure's voice as he ascended the stairs, "it might've been a good place."

Yuki stopped walking and turned back to his older cousin. "Why do you say so?"

"Because," he started as he placed a cigarette on his lips and lighted it, "...I've never seen the two of you look happy while walking beside each other like you did just minutes ago." He took a long drag of his cigarette and exhaled lazily.

"Ah," was the only thing Yuki said before he continued his way to his room.

A faint "Good night, Yuki-kun!" was heard before he shut his door.

"Happy, huh..."

But before Yuki could realize and argue with himself that 'happy' wasn't exactly a word to describe what he felt after hanging-out with Kyou, his eyes gave out and his mind went to a peaceful slumber.

- o -

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Yuki groaned. What kind of noise would be present this early in the morning? He tried to stuff his head with another pillow but he could still distinctly hear it.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

It was as if the sound was just inside his room. Or worse, beside him.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

_That's it! _Yuki thought menacingly. Who would have thought of disturbing him while he was sleeping and get away with it? No one messed with Yuki Sohma during the mornings! He threw the pillow away from him and got up to face the soon-to-be-deceased intruder. Yes, no one messed with Yuki Sohma in the morning... no one but Kyou.

"You-"

Kyou smirked. He loved that look his cousin got whenever he saw him inside the room. There was murder, utter confusion, then recognition. Who knew people could go through different kinds of emotions in 3 seconds? "Get up, lazy ass. Put on a shirt, shorts, and sneakers."

The thudding sound stopped. And as Kyou lifted his right hand, Yuki was able to make out in his hazy, semi sleep-induced consciousness a round, orange thing.

"We're going to play ball."

**- tbc -**


End file.
